(Dagmar Seibel)
From Animal Lover To Animal Creator
by Pam North
Maikammer, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, between Mannheim and Karlsruhe, is a beautiful region known for its vineyards and fruits. It also is home to Dagmar Seibel, a talented creator of  wonderfully whimsical bears and other animals. “I was born at Speyer, a very nice city with Roman roots and friendly people,” she explained. “I grew up in the middle of meadows and forests, and with a lot of different animals, which shaped my love of nature. I’m a big animal lover, and I eat no meat.”
After marriage to her husband in 1982, her family grew to three children (two sons and a daughter), then three grandchildren, and now includes two dogs and four turtles as well. “My life is my family; that is the most important thing to me.
She was a dental technician, a profession calling for dexterity that now serves her well in crafting bears. Her husband, also a dental technician, has his own laboratory where he and their son work together. She worked in the office for a long time, but now pursues her own artistry. “For the moment, I only wash their towels,” she said laughingly,” because I need all my time for my family, the house and garden, and my bears!”
Dagmar designs and sews jointed, detailed teddy bears and other animals (pigs, elephants, penguins, frogs, and dogs) in various sizes from 3 to 7 inches, combining her own pattern designs, materials and clothes to make them unique. She uses only high-quality materials (mohair, Sassy long-pile, sheep wool, and glass eyes), and meticulously gives each animal its own quirky personality. 
Dagmar always has liked making handcrafts, and she became intrigued with bears after occasionally seeing patterns for them in teddy bear magazines. She started with those in 1996, then quickly graduated to designing her own patterns. “I am infected with the bear virus,” she joked. “I began sewing them 21 years ago, and still enjoy it to this day.” She had no formal training, and learned simply by doing.“You keep developing – that’s normal,” she explained. “The main focus for me are the bears’ faces, and the comparison between my early ones with those of today show a big difference. My trademark is to do the faces in two materials and/or colors. The most exciting thing is the emergence of the faces. It’s very important to me that my bears/animals look back at me. They have to ‘live’, to have a ‘soul’.”
She is lucky to have her own workplace, a nice room with large windows framing a view into her garden. A large table in the middle of the room allows her ample room to work. On the walls are shelves where she can organize her materials, yarns, buttons, etc., and the bears she has completed that are ready for adoption. Showcases display her many awards, which include a Golden George award with Flower World, a Toby Award, and an Excellence in Bears award from the UK.
Inspiration is no problem for her. “It comes from everywhere. Sometimes while I’m working on a bear I already have a new design in mind. Sometimes new ideas come when I go walking with my dog, and sometimes in the middle of the night.  Sometimes I find accessories that give me a concept for a bear; sometimes it’s a fur or some other material. I walk with an open mind through the world, and so the ideas come. Currently I am having fun creating bear ladies with lace clothes and hats.”

She sells her bears at exhibitions, to customers who visit her home, and via her homepage and Bearpile. So far she has not taught any workshops, but said she might consider that possibility sometime in the future.
She sees a bright future for bear artists. “I think teddy bear fans and collectors always will exist, because teddies are a part of childhood and so many people have memories of loving them.”
New projects are underway for her. She has created a tableau for the next Golden George with several animals and the theme of Fun and Games. “I’m looking forward to my next exhibitions, starting in February in Switzerland; Teddybär Total in Münster in April; Teddybär-Welt in Weisbaden in May; and Hugglets Teddies Festival in London in September.”
There are important aspects to her work besides crafting her bears. One aspect she treasures most are the relationships that she develops with her customers. “Many become my friends, and we stay in contact. Another very important thing is the support of my family. I am sincerely thankful to  everyone who has supported me over the many years of my teddy bear career. I hope to live for a long time and stay healthy, and I hope I always have fun designing teddies.”
Contact Information:
Email: ds-baeren@t-online.de
Website: www.ds-baeren.de
Address: Kardinal-Wendel Strasse 11, D-67487 Maikammer
Telephone: 0049-6321 59735